Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis in the capital Sana’a and a number of provinces have on Thursday staged mass rallies commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Zayd bin Ali (peace be upon him).
The participants raised banners expressing the importance of commemorating this anniversary, and emphasised the continuation of Imam Zayd’s policies, his courage and his sacrifice.
They carried slogans of freedom against the tyrannical American policy in the region, as well as banners calling for a boycott of American and Israeli goods.
The participants chanted slogans expressing the greatness of Imam Zayd’s revolution and the importance of inspiring lessons to enhance resilience and stability. They furthermore vowed to continue supporting the fronts with money and manpower.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Yemeni Revolution, Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi stated that “the Yemeni people have made their choice to continue confronting the aggression and liberating their land occupied by the Saudi-led coalition.”
In his speech this afternoon, Sayyid al-Houthi said: “The Yemeni people will be free, and will not be a beggar for al-Saud or al-Nahyan.”
He pointed out that the Yemeni people will not remain silent in the face of US and Israeli tyranny, as long as the Islamic nation is harassed and oppressed from Palestine to Yemen.
“The aggression against Yemen and the conspiracies against the countries of the region serve America and Israel,” the Leader said.
He added that those who are deceived by the aggression forces are also victims of imperialist interference.
Imam Zayd ibn Ali was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), being the great-grandson of Imam Ali. He died around 740 CE during a revolution against the corrupt Umayyad dynasty. While he perished, his sacrifice was universally honoured by Muslims around the world and contributed to the successful revolution that overthrew Umayyad rule a few years later.
Imam Zayd is recognised as a martyr by all major Islamic schools of thought, and was greatly supported during his lifetime by major Sunni theologian Abu Hanifa (founder of the Hanafi school). The Zaydi school of Islamic thought, which has millions of followers in Yemen, recognises Imam Zayd as the fifth Imam.
